But the after-hours visit is just one of the bevy of errors defense attorney Phil Lauer said Koury committed before ruling Batts must spend the rest of his life in prison for a crime he committed at age 14.

In an anticipated move, Lauer is claiming Batts' new sentence is illegal and unconstitutional. He is requesting Koury hold another sentencing hearing and pass down a sentence of no more than 20 to 40 years in prison.

The precedent-setting sentencing came after years of appeals and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2012 that found juveniles cannot automatically be sentenced to life without parole. While the Pennsylvania Legislature has since limited murder sentences to a minimum of 25 or 35 years, the law did not apply retroactively to Batts, a Phillipsburg High School student, and the other juveniles in the state already convicted of first-degree murder.

After a seven-hour hearing earlier this month, Koury found the callous and calculated execution-style murder of Clarence "C.J." Edwards warranted the harshest penalty he could pass down. In a thorough hour-and-a-half hearing where Koury explained his legal rationale, the judge found Batts committed a cold-blooded murder in order to gain rank in the Brims, a subset of the Bloods street gang operating in Easton.

In a court document filed late this afternoon, Lauer argued Koury was obligated under state law to hand down a minimum sentence that would allow Batts to eventually be paroled. And, while the Supreme Court's decision in 2012 did not outright forbid life-without-parole sentences for juveniles, Lauer claimed a 1989 case before the high court did.

"Even when the United States Supreme Court was permitting the imposition of the death penalty upon juveniles, the 8th Amendment barred imposition of the penalty for one 15 years old or younger," Lauer claimed.

Lauer also claimed Koury reached his decision based on misleading evidence. While First Assistant District Attorney Terry Houck cited Batts emotionless taped confession to show the cold-blooded nature of the crime, witnesses during the trial said Batts was ordered to commit the murder by Vernon Bradley, Brim's local leader. Bradley likely would have killed Batts if he did not carry out the execution, they said, and Lauer argued the judge failed to consider the evidence when passing down his sentence.

The visit to the crime scene also showed Koury considered evidence that was not introduced during the hearing, Lauer said. By visiting the scene of the murder, Koury made clear he was weighing the nature of the crime more than Batts' potential for rehabilitation and chaotic upbringing, Lauer argued.

Koury also erred by allowing surprise evidence into the record, Lauer argued. Prosecutors presented evidence showing Batts has continued his gang ties while in prison, but the defense hadn't learned of it until the day of the hearing. Instead of continuing the hearing or barring the new evidence as Lauer requested, Koury granted the defense a two-hour window to review the evidence.

While Koury later said the new evidence did not weigh heavily into his decision to reaffirm Batt's life sentence, Lauer said the information prejudiced his client all the same.

"To properly evaluate and rebut such testimony, defense counsel would need to have gone to the state prison, viewed the video documentation in its entirety, spoken to witnesses depicted in the video as to their involvement with the Bloods gang, and hired new expert witnesses," he said.

Houck said Lauer's arguments have not changed in the past few years and some of the matters have long since been heard and dismissed by the courts. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court already denied Lauer's argument that Batts should be sentenced to a 20- to 40-year term.

"There's nothing new here than what they've already alleged. It's the same stuff rehashed over and over again," he said. "It's time to move on."